Nintendo’s presentation at the E3 conference got us thinking about how Nintendo is apparently losing some of its charm. Yes, Wii continues to be about fun and games, but the question is: for whom?

From what we’ve seen at E3, the future of Wii is about the casual gamer, who gets to play some Wii Sports Resort with the MotionPlus upgraded Wii remote, and sing along with a bunch of friends with the Wii Music simulator.

That’s about it, nothing for the more “serious” gamers; however, the fact that Wii Music is unlikely to appeal to “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band” fans doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a failure in terms of sales.

Enough about what could be, here is what Nintendo revealed at the E3 Business and Media Summit on Tuesday: first of all, an upgrade to the Wii remote - the MotionPlus, which plugs into the Wii remote and offers more intuitive in-game movements, something that Wii fans have expected to find since launch, but better late than never…

The MotionPlus accessory “redefines game control” for more accurate moves in 3D space, supported by an accelerometer and a sensor bar that better track the player’s arm position and orientation. The result is a 1:1 response in game play, with even the slightest moves of the player rendered identically on the screen.

Bundled with the upgraded remote will be Wii Sports Resort (scheduled to be released in spring 2009), which will include new game experiences such as Sword Play (demoed at E3), Power Cruising on a water scooter, and Disc Dog, all along with the Wii MotionPlus accessory and the Wii Remote Jacket for no additional cost.

Another game introduced at the E3 was the Animal Crossing: City Folk, which brings new features to the social environment, such as the new WiiSpeak microphone, which is sold separately for $29.99 and allows Internet voice chat among Wii Friends while they spend their day fishing or collecting fossils.

Nintendo is also trying to step into the virtual music market with Wii Music, an application that puts 60 different instruments at the player’s disposal, all controlled with the Wii Remote. Wii Music has the amazing ability to turn any tone deaf player into a virtuoso (thanks to Nintendo’s idea of a pressure-free musical experience, with no mistakes, no score, just play).

That of course is far from answering the “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” hardcore players’ desires, but it sounds fun and relaxing for any casual gamer. The player can choose to play the violin, an electric guitar, steel drums and even a cowbell.

It may seem awkward at first, especially since you do it all with the Wii Remote, but once you’ve become accustomed to it, you can even give the musical arrangement a personal spin. These personalized musical arrangements can then be sent to Wii Friends over WiiConnect24. The Wii Music offer will be available in the United States for the holidays, Nintendo announced.

Also coming up this winter is Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, exclusively on Nintendo DS, which keeps a strong position in the portable category, with over 20 million units sold in the United States and 70 million units sold worldwide.